UGeorge Wooten, umongameli we-Wayne E. Bailey Produce Company, wayenombono wobhatata osanda kusikwa eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-10 edlule, kodwa kwaze kwaba kulo nyaka lapho imikhiqizo iqala khona ukuphuma kulayini we-George Foods.
UWooten wasungula inkampani iPembroke, NC, ukuze inikeze amakhasimende intuthuko ebilokhu ishoda ngobhatata. Ngokusetshenziswa kwe-US ngamakhilogremu angu-3.8 kuphela ngonyaka uma kuqhathaniswa namaphawundi angu-28.5 ngonyaka ngo-1930, iGeorge Foods inempi encane yokukhuphuka. Kodwa uWooten uthe umbono omusha kufanele uguqule imiqondo yabantu ngemifino.
Abathengi base-US babona ubhatata njengento yeholide futhi ukuthengisa kuvame ukuzungeza i-Thanksgiving kanye noKhisimusi. Kodwa ubhatata empeleni uyimifino enemisebenzi eminingi, kusho uWooten, ngoba akukho ongeke ukwenze ngakho. Kungaba yingxenye ye-entree, i-side dish noma i-dessert.
“Ungalijikijela kumakhelwane wakho uma ungathandi,” esho sakuncokola.
Operations
Le nkampani isebenza endaweni eyi-95,000-square-foot, kodwa akuzona zonke lezi ezizosetshenziselwa imisebenzi yokusika okusha. UWooten uhlela ukwandisa indawo esanda kusikwa ukuze isingathe okungaphezu nje kobhatata; ufuna ukuba ngumphakeli wakho konke “ngaphandle kwelethisi” endaweni engamakhilomitha angama-250 ePembroke, esho. Uthenge umshini wolayini weklabishi futhi ukhuluma nomthengisi wezaqathi.
Lesi sakhiwo sasiyibhikawozi likaphaya kwaze kwaba yilapho uWooten esithenga, ngakho siyindawo esezingeni lokudla enokuphepha kwamahora angu-24. I-Wooten iqashe abantu abangu-45 embonini yokucubungula, okungenzeka kube nabasebenzi abangu-200 uma sekwengezwe olayini abaningi. Abantu basePembroke “bajabule kakhulu” ukuthi lesi sitshalo sizophinda sisebenze, kusho uWooten.
INorth Carolina inhloko-dolobha yamazambane amnandi e-United States, ikhiqiza cishe amaphesenti angama-40 okunikezwa kwesizwe, ngokusho kweNorth Carolina Sweet Potato Commission. Lesi sitshalo singamakhilomitha angu-8 kuphela ukusuka phakathi nendawo, futhi i-Pembroke ingamakhilomitha angaba ngu-40 kuphela ukusuka e-Chadbourn, NC, lapho u-Wooten ehlukanisa isikhathi sakhe no-Wayne E. Bailey Produce. IGeorge Foods itholakala enkabeni ye-East Coast, cishe amakhilomitha angama-700 ukusuka eMiami naseBoston. Le nkampani izosebenza kuleso sifunda, njengoba amaphesenti angama-65 abantu baseMelika ehlala empumalanga yoMfula iMississippi, kusho uWooten.
Fresh-Cut Market
I-George Foods iyiphrosesa yokuqala yamazambane amnandi e-North Carolina, futhi ingeyesibili ezweni. Kuyibhizinisi elisha elinesikhala esikhulu sokukhula, kusho uSue Johnson-Langdon, umqondisi omkhulu weKhomishini Yamazambane Amnandi yaseNorth Carolina. Uthe ucwaningo olwenziwa yile khomishini luthole ukuthi amakhasimende ayamangala uma ethola ukuthi ubhatata uwumkhiqizo osanda kusikwa.
Njengoba imikhiqizo esanda kusikwa ithola ingxenye yemakethe eyengeziwe minyaka yonke, uJohnson-Langdon uthe ubhatata usudlulelwe yisikhathi.
“Sekuyisikhathi sokuba ubhatata ube nendawo yawo.”
Ukuze azibekele umgomo wesikhashana, uWooten uthe unethemba lokuthi uzocubungula ubhatata ongamaphawundi ayizigidi ezi-5, futhi ekugcineni akhe afinyelele kumakhilogremu ayizigidi eziyi-10 kuye kwayi-15. U-Wayne E. Bailey Khiqiza amaphakheji cishe amaphawundi ayizigidi eziyi-100 ngonyaka, futhi u-Wooten uthe amaphesenti angu-10 alokho kuwumgomo onengqondo wemikhiqizo esanda kusikwa.
Esebenzisa i-vacuum sealing encane, u-Wooten uthe impilo yeshalofu yemikhiqizo esanda kusikwa yizinsuku eziyi-14. Konke lokho kungokwemvelo, esho, ngoba abawasebenzisi amakhemikhali ukuze balule isikhathi sokuphila.
Inkampani isivele ikhiqizela amakhasimende e-foodservice, futhi u-Wooten uthe cishe uzokwethula umugqa wokuthengisa ekwindla. Amakhasimende ngeke afune imikhiqizo kabhatata kuze kube amaholide. Ngenxa yokuthi ubhatata unzima ngokuphindwe izikhathi ezingu-2.5 ukuwusika kunezambane elimhlophe, u-Wooten uthe ubhatata osikiwe omusha kufanele ube umdayisi omkhulu wamaholide.
UJohnson-Langdon uthe cishe ngeke ibe khona imakethe enkulu yokudla okulula okugayiwe, kodwa iningi lezidingo lizovela ezintweni ezilula.
“Noma yini enciphisa isikhathi sokuzilungiselela izothathwa njengebalulekile,” kusho yena.
Impendulo evela kumakhasimende e-foodservice ibe yinhle. Amazambane athosiwe abe yinto ephumelele kakhulu kuze kube manje, kodwa uWooten uthe lokho kungenxa yokuthi amafrimu ayinto yonyaka wonke. Ulindele ukuthi ukudayiswa kweminye imikhiqizo kukhule njengoba kusondela isikhathi samaholidi.
Kube nentshisekelo ethile evela ezikoleni zaseNorth Carolina. Le nkampani izohlinzeka ezinye izikole zasendaweni ngezinti zikabhatata, okungenye yezindlela ezingcono zokuthosa ama-french.
Izinketho zemenyu
Umpheki uTony Merola ubesebenza no-Wooten kusukela ngo-1998 ukuthuthukisa imikhiqizo emisha nezimakethe zikabhatata. Usize ekwenzeni izindlela zokupheka ezintsha esebenzisa imifino futhi uchitha isikhathi ekhuluma nabathengisi nabasebenza ngokudla ukuze abatshele mayelana nezinzuzo zikabhatata futhi abatshele “lokho abaphuthelwa yikho.” Uthe ufuna ukuthi ubhatata ubonwe njengento engaphezu nje kwento yamaholide.
“Ziyi-1,001 izinto ongazenza ngobhatata,” kusho uMerola.
I-Merola idale inani lezindlela zokupheka ezintsha isebenzisa ubhatata ukunikeza abanye abapheki izizathu ezengeziwe zokuwasebenzisa.
Usungule izindlela zokupheka zokusebenzisa ubhatata anezoso, i-stir-fry, isobho, i-lettuce wraps kanye ne-pasta, ayibiza ngokuthi "isidlo esibi kakhulu." I-Merola ayiwusebenzisi ushukela onsundu emifino, kodwa kunalokho iyawugazinga kancane ukuze ikhiphe ushukela wemvelo kanye nokunambitheka.
UMerola uthe ubhatata cishe yiwo osebenza ngezindlela eziningi ngoba ungawudla njengemifino nanjengophudingi. Amakhasimende amaningi ajwayele ukusebenzisa i-puree yophaya bamazambane noma ama-soufflé, kodwa uMerola uthe le mifino ingase isetshenziselwe ukwenza i-crème brulee no-ayisikhilimu kabhatata, awubize ngokuthi “kumnandi kakhulu.”
Imifino ingenye enempilo kakhulu laphaya, kusho uMerola. Futhi i-Weight Watchers iyavuma. Inkampani yokudla ikhethe ubhatata njengokukhethwa kwayo kwemifino kwesizini ka-Okthoba kuya kuDisemba.
UWooten uqambe inkampani entsha ngoyise, uGeorge. Washona lapho u-Wooten eneminyaka engu-6 ubudala, kodwa ukhumbula ubaba wakhe njengomkhulu kunabo bonke - indoda ehlakaniphile neyokudala. Lo mdala uWooten ubengusomabhizinisi embonini yemishini, ngakho uWooten uthe kungenxa yesandla sikaNkulunkulu wagcina esengene emkhakheni wezokukhiqiza.
Lapho uWooten eneminyaka engu-13, umama wakhe washada no-Elroy Bailey, indodana ka-Wayne E. Bailey, umsunguli wenkampani yokupakisha ubhatata enegama lakhe. U-Elroy waphatha inkampani kusukela ngo-1970 kwaze kwaba sekufeni kwakhe ngo-1991, futhi u-Wooten wathatha njengomongameli ngaleso sikhathi. Usaqhubeka nokuba ngumengameli futhi unamadodana amabili asebenza khona. Izibulo lakhe, uGeorge Wooten III, ungumphathi wepulazi, kanti indodana yakhe yesibili, u-Adam, ungumphathi wokusebenza. Uphinde abe namadodakazi angamawele, eyodwa inguthisha kanti enye ineziqu.
UWooten uthe umsebenzi wakhe embonini yokukhiqiza umnikeze ithuba lokuhamba enqamula e-United States, ngisho naseYurophu izikhathi ezimbalwa.
Wathi: “Lapho ngiya ngiyohlanganyela ukholo lwami. “Anginamahloni ngeVangeli.”
Lowo umlayezo u-Wooten awumemezelayo emaphaketheni akhe, futhi. Iziqongo zamabhokisi kabhatata ayinqwaba avela ku-Wayne E. Bailey Produce “amazambane ayisipho sikaNkulunkulu kubantu, futhi uJesu uyisipho sikaNkulunkulu kubantu” abhalwe phezulu. Akakwazi ukukuphrinta lokho emabhokisini ekhasimende elithile, kodwa amanye, afana no-Winn-Dixie, i-Publix ne-Outback Steakhouse, awanandaba. UWooten uthe uzwile kubantu abakhuthazwe wumyalezo.
Uthe unethemba lokuthi uzoba umxhasi ophambili kulo lonke uhambo lweqembu lobuKristu. Inkampani yakhe ibingumxhasi we-Spirit West Coast, umkhosi wobuKristu womculo nokufundisa owawungo-August eMonterey, e-Calif. Uye kwifestivali iminyaka eyisishiyagalombili edlule ngemva kokuyithola ngenkathi eseCalifornia eNgqungqutheleni ye-Produce Merchandising Association Foodservice. UWooten uthe kubalulekile ukuba nohlangothi lwebhizinisi nolwezomoya uma exhase umcimbi.